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By: Luke Jones, Published on May 26, 2017 10:23 AM, Last Update on May 27, 2017 07:25 AM

The Government of Canada introduced on Friday a plan to develop a national Zero-Emissions Vehicle Strategy by 2018. Marc Garneau, the Minister of Transport, and Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, issued a statement from Transport Canada which confirms the federal government will commit alongside provincial governments to develop a nationwide strategy to move towards zero-emission vehicles (ZEVS).

The statement says the vehicles will help to “significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the light-duty vehicle sector”. Vehicle use accounts for nearly a quarter of Canada’s emissions, but ZEVS can helps reduce that number, eventually to zero. ZEVS are classed as battery electric, plug-in hybrid, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

Governments across the country agreed to create the strategy by 2018 under the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change.

“This strategy will be ambitious and will build on existing initiatives, such as light-duty vehicle regulations, provincial ZEV programs, and Canadian innovation superclusters, to help meet our 2030 greenhouse gas emissions reduction target and realize our potential as a global leader in innovation and the clean economy,” the statement said.

The statement points out that the government has already “made an important start in supporting further deployment of ZEVs.”

$62.5 million from Budget 2016 and $120 million from Budget 2017 has been given to Natural Resource Canada to help the organization build infrastructure for electric vehicle charging stations around the country. These stations will also include refuelling stops for natural gas and hydrogen.

“We understand Canadians’ concerns about the environment and are developing an aggressive strategy to tackle climate change by taking actions to reduce greenhouse gases and air pollution,” Garneau said in the statement.